Transfer valve



April 1957 H. M. MONTGOMERY ETAL 2,788,014

TRANSFER VALVE Filed Jan. 4. 1954 JNVENTORS HORACE M- MONTGOME/E'Y d fowmeo M. SMITH Arrow/vars TRANSFER VALVE Horace M. Montgomery and Edward M. Smith, Mansfield, Ohio, assignors to Gorman-Rupp Industries, Inc, Bellville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 4, 1954, Serial No. 401,760

3 Claims. (Cl. 137-122) This invention relates generally to the valve art and is particularly concerned with a new automatic doubleseat valve for use with a washing machine.

In various industries, it is frequently desirable to remove a liquid from a container and later to return it to the same container after another liquid has been used in that container. This is particularly true in the case of automatic washing machines where, after the washing operation is completed, the soapy water is removed and fresh water is used in the machine for rinsing the clothes. The soapy water could be used two or more times it it could be collected when it was being discharged from the washing machine and returned to the washing machine after the rinsing operation had been completed and the rinse water had been removed from the machine. So far as we know, there is no automatic apparatus for recovering the soapy water and the manually operated means which might be used for that purpose is subject to the disadvantages that close attention of the operator is required to manipulate the apparatus to preserve the soapy water and to reject the rinse water.

The present invention provides apparatus which will automatically direct into a storage receptacle liquid which is being removed from another container and excluding from that receptacle other liquid being removed subsequently from the said container.

The present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view taken at right angles to Fig. 1, certain parts thereof shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of valve plate and shaft; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the device of Fig. 5.

In the drawings, a housing 1 encloses a motor 2 which has an output shaft 3 connected at its upper end to a fan 4 and at its lower end to a shaft 5 extending lengthwise through a pipe 6 which is connected at its upper end to housing 1 and at its lower end to a pump housing 7. At its lower end shaft 5 is connected to an impeller 8 in housing 7. A gasket 9 clamped between the two parts of the pump housing 7 serves to prevent escape of liquid between these parts and this gasket is provided with flexible, oppositely extending, annular flanges 10 at its midportion to receive shaft 5 with fluid sealing contact. The lower side of pump housing 7 is provided with inlets for liquid which enters the housing by gravity or pressure head and which is pumped out of the housing through outlet 11 by impeller 8. Outlet 11 may be connected to a hose by means of which the liquid pumped out of housing 7 may be returned to the washing machine. The motor 2 may be connected to a source of electrical power by hired States Patent 0 ICC plug 12, switch 13 being provided to interrupt the circuit to the motor.

A bracket 15 is adapted to rest on the top edge of a wall 16 of a suitable receptacle R, for example, a laundry tray and to be clamped against the opposite sides of wall ,16, as by the abutment part 17 and thumb screw 18 of the bracket. The bracket 15 is provided with a sheet metal plate 20 which is shaped to encircle pipe 6, extends partly around that pipe and presses the pipe against one side of bracket 15. In this manner the bracket supports the pipe 6 and its associated parts relative to the receptacle R.

A double-seat valve with associated parts is mounted on the side of bracket 15 opposite to plate 20. This valve comprises a two-part body 25 having a through passage 26 in which water may flow from its inlet end 27 to its outlet end 28. The inlet end may be connected to the drain hose from the washing machine while the outlet end 28 may be connected to the sewer. The body 25 also has a side passage 29 which intersects with passage 26 at approximately right angles. Liquid flowing through passage 29 will be caught in the receptacle R. This same water may be pumped out of the receptacle by impeller 8 in housing 7.

A valve seat 35 surrounds through passage 26 just beyond the intersection of passage 29 therewith and an annular valve seat 36 surrounds the side passage 29 just outside of through passage 26. A valve plate 37 is piv-- otally mounted in valve body 25 and is of such size asto seat on either of seats 35 and 36 and close the cone spending passage against flow of liquid therethrough. It will be understood that the valve seats 35 and 36 are: at such an included angle to each other that the valve:

plate 37 will seat on either seat 35 or 36.

The valve plate 37 has a cylindrical portion 38 along: one edge which is seated in a cylindrical recess in the body' 25 and this cylindrical part 38 serves as a pivot about:

which the plate 37 is moved. Portion 38 of valve plate- 37 projects through one wall of body 25 and is there connected to a downwardly extending valve lever-39 which carries a float 40 near its lower end.

It will be noted that when the valve plate 37 is seated on seat 35 to close through passage 26 and open side passage 29, the valve lever 39 makes a small angle of a few degrees with a vertical line. Likewise, when the valve plate 37 is seated on seat 36 so that the side passage 29 is closed and the through passage 26 is opened, the lever 39 will still extend downwardly but at a considerably larger, though still acute, angle to a vertical line; By reason of the relative location of the valve plate 35, lever 39 and float 40, the valve plate 37 will be seated on seat 35 when there is little or no water in receptacle R. This condition will exist so long as that condition prevails and will also exist during the time that liquid under pressure is being delivered into through passage 26 through its inlet end 27 and is being intercepted by valve plate 37 and directed into passage 29. Since the lever 39 makes such a small angle to the vertical, the buoyant effect of the water on float 4G is approximately balanced, i. e., only a small part of thattotal buoyancy tends to swing the float 40 upwardly and thereby move lever 39 and, incidentally, valve plate 37 about their pivot. Hence, so long as water under some considerable force is being intercepted by valve plate 37, that valve will remain seated on seat 35. However, when the force of water against valve plate 37 is reduced to the point where it can no longer offset the buoyant effect of the water on float 40, the float will rise and, in doing so, will move valve plate 37 into seating position on valve seat 36. Thereafter, any water flowing in passage 26 will be delivered through its discharge end 28 until and unless the water level in the container is lowered to permit the float to drop a move valve plate 37 to a position partly closing passage 26. It will 'b understood that the. force of shining passage 26 may overcome a'nybuoyan't effect of water partly covering float 40 and thus complete the seating of plate 37 on seat 35.

J Iri'FigsI 5 and 6 is shown a modified form of the valve plate 37 and integral shaft 33 of Figs. l3. In this modifled form, the shaft 38a ametal rod provided hole 38b to receive thefloat rodSQ, a shaft seal 38c and a pin 38d. A'resilient valve plate 37a is fixed to pin 38d which extends lengthwise of the plate between its side edges and to the tube 38a along its side in Contact therewith. The plate 37!: is preferably composed of rubber, or a suitable plastic composition, which will flex to engage either seat 35 or 36 and thereby to compensate for manufacturing variations. The pin 38d consists of metal and may also flex somewhat but is sufliciently rigid to prevent undue flexing of the plate 371;. i i

It will be understood from the foregoing disclosure that the double-seat valve will operate automatically to save the soapy water, for, startingwith an empty receptacle R, the soapy water will be diverted from the washing machine into the receptacle with resultant closing of side passage 29 and, thereafter, rinse water will be disc harged' to the "drain through outlet 28 of passage 26. When the soapy water is to be returned to the washing machine, it is only necessary to shift switch 13 which, provided plug 12 has been inserted into a socket, will energize motor 2 and pump the soapy water back into the washing machine.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 325,982 filed December 15, 1952, now abandoned.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A double-seat valve comprising a body having a substantially horizontal, unobstructed through passage to be connected at one end to a source of fluid under pressure and a downwardly opening side passage communicating with said through passage between its ends, a substantially horizontal shaft pivotally mounted in said body, a valve plate secured to the shaft and shiftable to close either one of said passages and simultaneously open the other one, a liquid container, means for mounting said valve in said container, a float lever directly connected to said shaft for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane when the shaft rotates, and a float on the lever near its lower end, said lever extending downwardly into said container 3 at an included angle with the vertical such that the force of liquid flowing into the through passage and out of the side passage will maintain said lever in its downwardly extending position against the buoyant effect on the float of liquid in the container.

2. A double-seat valve comprising a body having a substantially horizontal, unobstructed through passage to be connected at one end toa source of fluid'und'er pressure and a downwardly opening side passage communicating with said through passage between its ends, a substantially horizontal shaft pivotally mounted in said body, a flexible pin projecting from the shaft, a flexible valve plate secured to said shaft and pin and shiftablc to close either one of said passages and simultaneously open the other one. a liquid container, means for mounting said valve in said container, a float lever directly connected to said shaft for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane when the shaft rotates and extending downwardly into said container, said lever making a small included angle with the vertical when the said valve plate closes the through passage and a larger angle when the valve plate closes said side passage, and a float on the lever near its lower end, said plate receiving the full force of fluid flowing in the through passage when the plate closes that passage, the force of such flowing liquid applied to said plate serving to overcome the buoyancy of the liquid tending to swing the lever and move the plate to close the side passa 3. A double-seat valve comprising a body having a substantially horizontal, unobstructed through passage to be connectedat one end to a source of fluid under pressure and a downwardly opening side passage communicating with said through passage between its ends, a shaft pivotally mounted in said body for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane when the shaft rotates, a flexible pin projecting from the shaft, a flexible valve plate secured to said shaft and pin and shiftable to close either one of said passages and simultaneously open the other one, and a float carrying lever directly connected to said shafta nd extending downwardly therefrom at a small angle of a few degrees to the vertical when the valve closes the through passage and at a larger angle when the valve closes the side passage, said plate receiving the full force of fluid flowing in the through passage when the plate closes that passage, such force serving to maintain the plate in position closing the through passage against the buoyant tendency of the liquid to swing the lever and move the plate to open the through passage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,269,048 Butcher June ll, 1918 1,608,355 Bauer Nov. 23, 1926 2,244,986 Drane June 10, 1941 2,288,231 Drane June 30, 1942 2,378,613 Young et a1. June 19, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 11 ,357 Great Britain May 11, 1898 

